'93 blasts: 4 Memon aides guilty

Mumbai: A TADA court on Friday pronounced as guilty four accused who are facing the charges of conspiracy in the 1993 bomb blast case and abetting terror acts at the instance of absconding mastermind Tiger Memon.

They are Suleman Mohamed Kasam Ghawte, Mohammed Shahid Mizamuddin Qureshi, Parvez Mohammed Parvez Zulfikar Qureshi and Shaikh Ali Shaikh Umar.

While Kasam Ghawte and Zulfikar Qureshi are on bail, Nizamuddin Qureshi and Shaikh Umar are lodged in judicial custody. All of them have been found guilty.

The four are facing the charges of conspiracy and participating in landing of arms and explosives at Shekhadi in Raigad district of Maharashtra in February 1993 under IPC and Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act.

Additionally, Ghawte is also charged with participating in weapon training at Sandheri village in Raigad district organised by Tiger Memon prior to the serial bomb blasts.

Besides participating in a conspiracy meeting in Dubai and landing operations of arms and explosives at Raigad coast, Shahid Qureshi is also charged with going to Dubai for onward journey to Pakistan to take arms training. He could not go to Pakistan as conspirators did not make arrangements.

Apart from participation in landing operations of arms and explosives, Parvez Qureshi is charged with obtaining weapons training in Pakistan, attending conspiracy meetings at residences of co-accused and filling RDX in vehicles which were planted at various places in Mumbai on the day of blasts.

Shaikh Ali Umar is charged with taking part in conspiracy meetings, landing operations of explosives at Shekhadi coast and weapon training in Sandheri and Borghat in Raigad besides filling RDX in vehicles used in the blasts and surveying potential targets.